Cincinnati may be known as a German city, what with our legendary Oktoberfest and love for pork and sausages, but Irish heritage is also strong here, as we’ll see this weekend. St. Patrick’s Day is officially Monday, March 17, but the green beer starts flowing early in anticipation.
The 48th annual Cincinnati St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off Saturday at noon downtown. The route begins at Eggleston Avenue and Reedy Street, wrapping around Central Avenue, crossing over Sycamore Street and back down Fifth Street. Hang out on Fountain Square during the parade, where festivities run from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. with live music, Irish grub and plenty of beer. Fun on the square continues Monday starting at 11 a.m. — for those playing hooky.
For those looking to take a more culturally rich approach to the holiday, Cincinnati actually has its own Irish Heritage Center located in the East End. Read our story on the center and its founders, Kent Covey and Maureen Kennedy, here.
Doors open at the center at 2 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday; events include Irish music and dance, art exhibitions, children’s events and food and drink for purchase. They host an Irish mass at 1:30 p.m. Monday, followed by more celebrating. Find the full schedule here.
The Cincinnati Museum Center also gets in on the St. Paddy’s fun with its Celtic Lands Culture Fest Saturday-Sunday. Get your fill of folklore, performances and art from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Kids will enjoy workshops, games and crafts throughout the weekend. Activities in the rotunda are free; access to the museum requires admission. Go here for tickets and more details.
Movie lovers will want to check out Cincinnati World Cinema’s annual Oscar Shorts screening this weekend; a mix of the Academy Award-nominated flicks in the Short Film – Animated and Short Film – Live Action categories will be shown in two programs Saturday and Sunday. Each program contains a mix of five live action and animated shorts — be sure to check out both programs to see the winners from both categories. Find program details and schedules here.
It’s a Macy’s Arts Sampler Weekend, with free art events across the Tristate all day Saturday. This month’s sampler includes a special “Catch the Spirit” concert featuring the collaboration of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival Chorus, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and other local arts organizations. The performance takes place at 1 p.m. at Music Hall. Additional performances, classes, exhibits and other exciting activities for all ages will be offered at Elementz downtown, Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington, Ky., Fairfield Community Arts Center, Hamilton’s Fitton Center for Creative Arts and more. Go here for more locations with a lineup of events.
For more art openings, parties and other stuff to do this weekend, check out our To Do picks, full calendar and Rick Pender’s Stage Door for weekend theater offerings.
